their soules which words clearly import that men that draw back without returning they draw back to perdition to damnation but we are not of them saith the Apostle And here then beloved doth this word fall upon any man before God this day Hast thou left a course of strictnesse and fallen into a course of prophanenesse and loosenesse Hast thou fallen from thy God and never thinkest of a returning I shall not censure thee now but if thou livest and diest in this estate it is an undoubted argument thou art not within the compasse of Gods decree to save Secondly Men that doe make the mercies and goodnesse of God as arguments to embolden them the more in sinne such men are not likely to be the persons whom God hath elected to life and glory In the Epistle of Jude v. 4. It is spoken there of men that turned the grace of God into wantonnesse And what saith the Apostle of them they are men that are ordained of old to condemnation The Scripture there makes it the badge of a man ordained of old to condemnation when he shal persist in this sinfull temper to turn Gods grace into lasciviousnesse that is to take arguments from the grace and mercy and goodnesse of God to walk in waies of sinne And therefore look to it and with your hearts bewaile it all you that are apt to abuse doctrines of grace and because God is good you will be evil because God is mercifull therefore you will be sinful if you die in this temper the Scripture declares that you are the men ordained of old to condemnation Thirdly a man that doth walk in a course of sinne wilfully with malice and knowingly against conscience and obstinately without reluctancy and persist in this and live and die thus that man is not within the compasse of Gods election There is a phrase Psal 59.5 Be not mercifull O Lord unto wicked transgressors It is in some translations Be not mercifull to them that sinne of wicked malice or of malicious wickednesse Now there is this rule which Divines give that those prayers which were made by David they are rather Prophecies of what should be then meere prayers that this might be As David prayed against the Jewes Psal 69.22 that their table might be a snare to them and that they should alway bow down under their burden which was a prophecie and they did so And so he prayes here that God would not be mercifull to men that sinne of wicked malice which is as much as a prophecie that God will not be mercifull to men that sinne of malicious wickednesse And therefore beloved all you that so live and resolve you will die and haply doe die who sinne obstinately that let God command what he can you will do what you please let the Minister say what he will you will doe as you list that sinne against knowledge and against conscience and without any reluctancy resolve to live and die in a course of sinne the Lord be mercifull to such persons for certainly there must be no Bible if such men fall within the compasse of Gods election Fourthly That man that by living under the powerfull Ministry of the Word is more hard in heart and worse in life if a man grows thus it is an argument he is not within the purpose of Gods election Matth. 13.14 15. By hearing you shall heare but not understand by seeing you shall see but not perceive this peoples heart is waxed grosse their eares dull in hearing their eyes shut lest at any time they should see with their eyes heare with their eares understand with their hearts and be converted and I should save them Here is the judgement God laies upon such sinners that they shall have eyes and not see they shall be ignorant their hearts shall waxe grosse they shall be uncapable of taking any impression of the word upon them And what 's the end of all this lest they should be converted and I should save them implying that if God lets you that live under the Ministry to have dark eyes and hard hearts it is an argument God hath no intent to save you and therefore his purpose is to condemne you So John 12.40 He hath blinded their eyes and hardned their hearts lest they should see with their eyes and understand with their hearts and be converted Here it is laid down as an act of Gods that God did harden their hearts and God did blind their eyes lest they should be converted Implying that if men doe live and die in this temper that they have lived yeere after yeere under a powerfull Ministry and yet they grow more blind in judgement and more profane in life and more hard in heart after 20 30 40 yeeres hearing then they were before that the word doth but draw out their wickednesse and makes them more prophane and more to oppose godlinesse the Lord have mercy upon such soules for certainly if God leave you thus it is an argument he never intends to save you for the Lord doth thus with such that they might not be saved There is a passage Rom. 11.7 Israel hath not obtained that which he seeks for but the election hath obtained and the rest were hardned By election is meant the elected the Abstract put for the Concrete As often in Scripture Circumcision put for Circumcised and so here Election put for elected The elected have obtained it what did they obtaine they obtained salvation and glory but the rest that were not elected they were hardned The Lord there makes it the badge of them that are not elected that they are a blinded people and a hardned people Intimating that men that are not elected they shall live under the word yet shall be blind in mind shall be hard in heart shall be wicked in life and the Ministry of the word shall never reforme them And if any of you be such O that the Lord would make you tremble this day tremble lest you are not in Gods thoughts to doe you any good another day Fifthly when God doth give up men to strong delusions not onely to believe lies themselves but to teach lies to seduce others when the Lord leaves men to live and die in that estate the Scripture makes it an argument of them that are not chosen by God to life and glory You shall read therefore in that great delusion of Antichrist 2 Thes 2.10 11 12. God gave them up to strong delusions to believe lies that all might be damned that believe not the truth It is made a brand of damnation when God shall give them over to believe lies Though a godly man may die in a corrupt opinion for every errour is not a badge of damnation but errours that are fundamentall that strike at the foundation of Religion wherein men runne so far as never to repent of their errour that the Scripture makes the badge of a man whose soule is in a world of danger Read
by election Now he that is of God God will in time make him heare his Word with delight and love but he that takes no delight therein is not elected of God 1 John 4.5 6. Fifthly The Lord will sooner or latter work in the heart of an elect man love to the people of God and compassion to those who are not the elect and chosen ones of God Col. 3.12 Put on as the elect of God bowels of mercy and loving kindness The Apostle there by the manner of phrase doth seem to intimate thus much Put on as the elect of God c. As if it were a thing ordained to and inseparable from an elect man after his effectuall calling that he should have bowels of mercy towards those that are not called and that he should have loving kindnesse towards those that are called For a man that is once elected and hath the execution of that decree in effectuall calling it is proper to him to have bowels of mercy Sixtly God will sooner or latter work an elect man into a new course of living and of obedience from what he had in times past 1 Pet. 1.2 You are elected according to the foreknowledge of God through sanctification to obedience that though you were disobedient before serving divers lusts yet God if he hath chosen you will bring you into a course of obedience Rom. 8.29 He hath predestinated us What to doe that we might be conformable to the image of his Sonne God intends that that person whom he chooseth to life should be conformable to Jesus Christ and that he shall live another manner of life then before that though he hath formerly been subject to sinne and Satan yet then he shall walk in waies of obedience to Jesus Christ Thus having briefly finisht these heads I have onely foure or five cautions to lay down to bound what hath been said within the limits of truth As First Take notice that these six effects doe not extend to children who die while they are children but to men and women that are grown to yeers A child that cannot act reason as he is a child cannot have any of these particulars wrought in him at least in that way and manner men of yeeres have A child as it is an infant hath not conversion in that way a man hath though it hath somewhat equivalent to it as somewhat like sanctification and somewhat like that faith men of yeeres have but what that is and how wrought man cannot determine In pressing of this therefore I say it doth not extend to children who die in their infancy but onely to men come to yeeres of discretion if they live and die without the having of these six effects they may conclude they cannot be elected Secondly that the want of these six particulars for a time is no Argument of a mans non-election for before conversion which is Gods first dealing with a sinner an elect man may be as vile and as bad as any wicked man alive As the Apostle Paul tels us Titus 3.3 In times past we were also disobedient and served divers lusts and lived in pleasure and excesse c. So 1 Tim. 1.12 So that the want of this for a time is no argument of a mans non-election for then it would follow a man unconverted is no elect man which would crosse the whole tenour of Scripture But a man living and dying without these doth not belong to the election of grace Thirdly I doe not presse the having of these effects actually if you have them habitually My meaning is this A man may be elected and yet may not act any thing answerable to effectuall calling nor act with any delight and love to the word nor act any thing in a way of sanctification yet if you have these habitually in the habit of them these may be testimonies or evidences of election Fourthly I doe not presse the having of these effects sensibly to be an evidence of election if so be you have them really There are many men have these really when they have them not in their own apprehension Fifthly I doe not presse the having of these effects gradually so you have them sincerely My meaning is this that a man may be elected yea and he may not onely be chosen in Gods eternall decree but the execution of that decree may be passed upon him that he may be effectually called and yet he may not have all these six effects in a great measure in the highest degree yet he may have them sincerely and so be a pledge to his own heart of his eternall election And thus having finished this third Query I come now to enter upon another depending upon the former which indeed is a very dreadfull subject and a point to be trembled at while it is handling and that is this what probable guesse may be given of a man that he is not within the compasse of Gods election This is a very high point and must be handled with a great deale of seriousnesse and sadnesse it being a point concerning the salvation or damnation of all the men upon earth And therfore I would intreat you to look about you Gods decrees they are in Heaven and it is onely a reall work of grace upon your hearts on earth that can give you evidence that those decrees are for good to you As good wrought is an evidence of Gods purpose to save you so the contrary work may be an evidence of Gods purpose never to save you but of leaving you without the compasse of his eternall election There can be nothing laid down absolutely and certainly yet there may be many probable guesses given of the men that are not within the compasse of Gods election Of which I shall name but six or seven sorts And I wish to God that none of you that are before the Lord this day have your names written in this black book lest you have just cause to feare your names are not written in the booke of life First That man that fals back from a course of profession to a course of prophanenesse without timely returning the Scripture gives a shrewd guesse of such a man that he is not within the compasse of Gods purpose to save I doe not say every backsliding and every decaying affection but a totall and finall relapse when a man falls and riseth not againe when a man runs from God and returns not again the Scripture gives a guesse at him that he is not within the compasse of Gods election Heb. 10.38 39. If any man draw back my soule shall have no pleasure in him Interpreters observe that in these words there is a figure wherein there is lesse expressed then is intended My soule shall have no pleasure in him It is as much as if God should have said My soule shall hate or I will exceedingly hate him But we are not of them that draw back to perdition but of them that believe to the saving of
another comfort for you that many times election runnes rather to the profaner sort of men then to men that are civill and righteous dealing men here in the world and this God doth to magnifie the riches of his own grace Fourthly that it is no matter what you were before your calling so you are a repentant and holy people after your former miscarriages shall no way prejudice your future blessednesse 1 Cor. 6.9 10 11. Neither Fornicator nor Idolater nor Adulterer nor envious nor thiefe nor covetous nor reviler shall enter into the Kingdome of Heaven and such were some of you c. Here you see a Catalogue of vile evils heaped together and such were some of you but now you are washed now you are sanctified c. So that no matter what you were before conversion though guilty of great sinnes so you are now a reformed people now a sanctified people Titus 3.3 We our selves also were sometimes foolish disobedient deceived serving divers lusts and pleasures and living in malice and envie c. You were so but after the kindnesse and love of God appeared to you after they were called and converted they were not so So that these foure particulars will clearly take off this objection that no matter what you were before conversion if you are now a repentant people and bewaile your evils and reform your waies your former ill led life will be no hindrance at all to your election Indeed this I must needs say that you that have been most notorious in sinne God expects this at your hands that you be most eminent in grace most deep in humiliation most eminent in godly sorrow though your former evills doe no way prejudice your election Secondly if the divell cannot fasten this upon you he will come upon you with this assault viz. your frequent falling into scandalous and foule and grosse enormities after you took upon you a profession of Jesus Christ And this the divell will lay close happily sinne before conversion was not so great but now since you have followed Sermons and since you have professed Jesus Christ since that time you have fallen foulely into grosse and scandalous sinnes and surely this is inconsistent with grace and cannot befall persons within the compasse of Gods election And I confesse this is both sad and hazardous yet I shall lay down three things to uphold thee that yet for all this thou maist be within the compasse of Gods election As First that divers persons who were within the compasse of Gods election have fallen foulely into grosse sinnes after their call Lot after he was called fell to be incestuous and fell to drunkennesse David after he was called fell into Adultery Peter after he was called fell to a deniall of Jesus Christ Yea you read of Solomon 1 Kings 11.9 That his heart was turned from the Lord after the Lord had revealed himselfe unto him twice After God had revealed himselfe to Solomon and converted him after that time he did evill against his God Nay you read further Nehem. 13.26 27. That Solomons wives turned away his heart from the Lord though he was the beloved of his God Though he were beloved by God and were elected by him yet his wives turned away his heart from the Lord. The like phrase you have Numb 14.22 After all these great works I have done amongst them and the miracles I have shewn them in Aegypt and in the Wildernesse they have provoked me saith the Lord these ten times After they were the Lords by covenant and after they were a delivered people after this they provoked him many a time by sinning against him and yet divers of them were elect vessels of mercy So that I say many of Gods servants after their calling are fallen foulely into scandalous sinnes and yet have been within the compasse of Gods election Secondly if you falling into grosse and scandalous sinnes have not these foure sinfull ingredients your falling into sinne after calling may be consistent with election First if you fall not into sinne voluntarily Secondly if you fall not into the same sinne frequently Thirdly if you fall not into sinne with complacency And fourthly if you lie not under your fall impenitently If these ingredients be mixed with your sinning after your call they are inconsistent with election First if you fall into sinne voluntarily that you rush into sinne as a horse into the battell Secondly if you fall into the same sinne frequently then it is hazardous and dangerous It is true Peter denied Christ but it was but in one fit of a temptation David fell into Adultery but it was never but once Lot was guilty of drunkennesse but onely in one fit For the servants of God though they fall yet they fall not frequently into the same sinne if grosse and scandalous Thirdly if you fall into sinne with complacency that you take pleasure in the evils you fall into if you doe as Job saith wallow sinne under your tongue counting it sweet and delightsome to you And lastly if all this be joyned with impenitency that you have not a heart to repent of the evils you fal into the Lord have mercy upon you for certainly if you fall into sinne with these ingredients you are not within the compasse of Gods mercy to save But now though you doe fall into sinne if it be not voluntary but through the force of temptation if it be not with complacency but a dislike of the sins you fall into and as soon as you doe fall and see your sinnes you repent and rise again though you doe fall in this way it will be no prejudice to your election Thirdly falling into sinne after calling and profession made of Jesus Christ may be consistent with election in these foure cases First if the sinnes you fall into be clearly discerned Secondly if they are sensibly bewailed Thirdly if they are strongly resisted and lastly if they are daily laboured and prayed against Though you doe fall into sinne yet in these cases sinne will not be damning to you or be an impediment to your election And thus I have done with the second case of conscience Onely let me urge this one thing before I leave it for I would not have you make this doctrine a doctrine of liberty but I would have you lay this to heart that if any of you doe fall foulely after conversion believe it God will make you smart for this though not in hell yet you shall have a hell in your conscience you shall have the very pregustations of hell a wounded conscience and God will expect deep humiliation and great repentance if you sinne after profession made of Jesus Christ It may have that influence upon you as upon David who cried out I have no quietnesse in my bones by reason of my sinne God will give you no rest night nor day by reason of sinne if you runne into it after profession made of Jesus Christ Thirdly men doe doubt
a gainsaying heart thou hast a stout spirit against God thy heart is as hard as an Adamant as hard as the Rocks yet here is thy comfort all the gain-sayings of thy spirit and all the stubbornnesse of thy will it shall not be able to keep off converting mercy and shall not be able to keep off calling grace from thee When God hath an intent to call thee he will come with Power by his call and make thee do what he commands thee and make thee imbrace what he cals thee to Did not Jesus Christ use an operative call as well as a significative call no man in the world would ever be called And this is the reason that in hearing the same Sermon and following the same Preacher one man is converted the other is not The reason is this The call of the Ministry is onely a significative call of a Reprobate onely signifying what God would have him do But there is no power conveyed with the invitation to make the man able to do what Christ cals him to and therefore one is called the other is not Thus much in Answer to the first case Case 2 Secondly What temptations doth the Devil suggest to men who are uncalled that they should not give entertainment to or embrace the call of Jesus Christ unto grace and glory And in answer to this I shall lay down onely four suggestions of the Devil wherewith he entangles a man that he should not yeeld to the call of Jesus Christ And as I lay them down I shall labour to take them away As 1. The first temptation the Devil will suggest is to you that are young men and to you he will suggest that you are yet too young to imbrace the call of Jesus Christ 't will be time enough hereafter and you may do it soon enough hereafter you are too young now to be abridg'd of your pleasure and to mortifie your lusts and to betake your selves unto so serious a course as Christ cals you to and by this temptation the Devil prevails with young men more especially And I remember Austin saith that this temptation of the Devil made him keep off for seven years together from embracing the call of Jesus Christ the Devil would still tell him in his heart thou art too young to leave thy Drunkennesse and too young to leave thy Harlots till at last he cryed out How long shall I say it is too soon Why may I not repent to day This temptation I say it hath fastened upon many before you that they were too young to come in to Jesus Christ and to this end the Devil will suggest to you that old and false Proverb A young Saint and an old Devil Whereas indeed if you are young Devils you will be old Beelzebubs And therefore this being a suggestion prevailing with many hearts I shall lay down six considerations to take off this temptation that it may not prevail with you First If the Devil tempt you that you are yet too yong to hearken to Christs call consider That the Devil cannot give you a Lease of your lives if the Devil could give you a Lease of your lives and tell you you should live till old age you might then with more safety hearken to his temptation but your lives are not at the Devils disposal God is the Author of your life the issues of life and death are in his hands you may dye in youth and if you die in youth uncalled you may be damned as well as dead You may be as these men Job 36.14 That shall dye in their youth and their lives shall be among the unclean And therefore though the Devil tempt you that you are too young seeing he cannot assure you of your lives you have no reason to hearken to his temptation Secondly Suppose the Devil could assure you you should live till old age yet take this consideration that in putting off your calling and the work of conversion from your youth this may so provoke God that he may harden your hearts in your old dayes that you shall have no heart to think of and imbrace the call and invitation of Jesus Christ Jer. 22.21 I spake to thee in thy prosperity but thou wouldst not hear and this hath been thy manner from thy youth Thou wouldst not obey my voyce God spake but they would not hear and it was from their youth that they did thus therefore God would never speak more God hardened their hearts that they should never receive or imbrace the call of Jesus Christ So Isa 6.9.10 Seeing the Jewes from their youth were obstinate against the word of God Go saith God make their ears heavy and their hearts fat and their eyes blind that they should not be called and converted and I should save them Let this therefore be a second consideration that the putting off your call till your old age may so provoke God as never to give you hearts to imbrace his call Thirdly Suppose all this that you could have a Lease of your lives and you could be assured that when you come to old age your hearts should not be hardened yet consider this that the more sinful and evil the dayes of your youth have been the more disquietness of mind and horror of conscience will this breed in you when you are old though you should be called and converted by Jesus Christ Job 13.24 25 26. Thou hidest thy face thou holdest me as thy Enemy Thou dost drive me as a leaf to and fro and thou dost pursue me like dry stubble Now why doth Job complain thus Mark the next words For thou writest bitter things against me and makest me to possess the iniquities of my youth Job when he was a young man it seems he was a wicked man and had many sins in his youth and this in his old age made him cry out and say that God took him for his Enemy and that God brake him like a leaf driven with the wind O beloved the sins of your youth though you should be Jobs converted yet they wil bring great disquietness and great horror when you come to age the lusts of youth and the vanities of youth and the sensual pleasures of your youthful dayes they will lay a foundation of sorrow when you come to gray hairs to be neare your graves so Job 20.11 And therefore put the case you should repent and should be called when you are old you have no cause to put off the call of Jesus Christ seeing sins of youth will fill you with horror and disquietness of mind Hence it is that David after he was call'd by the power of the word cryes out Psal 25. Lord remember not the sins of my youth that gravelled and gall'd his conscience the sins of his youth before his call Quae fuerunt inaenia juventut is gaudia haec sunt acerba senectutis gravamina It is the speech of an Author that to look on the pleasurable vanities
impossible and therefore in that we are commanded and bound to do it it is clear that it is possible and may be made sure Secondly Because it is the office of the Spirit of Jesus Christ to work this particular assurance in the hearts of those that are effectually called that they are in the state of grace and shall be brought to glory 1 Cor. 2.12 We have received not the spirit of this world but the Spirit which is of God that we might know the things that are freely given us of God 1 John 5.10 He that believeth he hath a witnesse in himselfe a witnesse to his own soul that he doth believe Eph. 1.13 14. There the Spirit is called a Seal you are sealed by the Spirit of Promise and verse 14. It is called the earnest of our inheritance Now a seal and earnest is to give more assurance to a Promise and here the Spirit of God is given to Believers as a Seal and earnest-Penny that as they have the first fruits in grace they shall have their harvest in glory 1 John 4.13 Hereby we know we dwell in him and he in us because he hath given us his Spirit It is the office of the Spirit of Jesus Christ to assure our hearts in this particular Rom. 8.16 The Spirit it self beareth witnes with our spirits that we are the children of God Thirdly Particular servants of God in Scripture that have been partakers of this mercy they have had this firm assurance of their effectual calling I shall instance in three First in Paul and the Scripture tells us of him that he had a clear evidence of his effectual calling Gal. 2.20 I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me who loved me and gave himself for me There he had a particular assurance that Christ loved him and gave himself for him So 2 Tim. 1.12 I know whom I have believed and I am perswaded also that what I have committed to him he will keep till the last day So 2 Tim. 4.8 I have fought a good fight I have finished my course I have kept the faith henceforth there is a Crown laid up for me Nay not onely Paul but Job also Job 19.25 I know that my Redeemer liveth and I shall stand up before him at the last day he knew Jesus Christ was his Redeemer And so David also saith Thou art my God and I will praise thee Psal 118.28 and Psal 23.6 Surely the goodnesse and merey of God shall follow me all the dayes of my life So that put these together God commands it it is the spirits office to work assurance in the heart and particular servants of God have had this assurance therefore why may it not be obtained But if you say these were not ordinary servants of God these were servants of a higher rank and form but may ordinary weak Christians know this also Yes Therefore Fourthly Not only particular Saints have had this but the people of God in General they have declared in Scripture that they have injoyed this particular assurance of their effectual Calling and safety of their condition by Christ Instance in a few Isa 63.16 Doubtlesse thou art our Father They made no doubt of it they were so perswaded they feared it not Isa 45.24 Surely shall one say In the Lord have I righteousnesse and strength Surely a word of confidence they were assured they had righteousnesse for their justification in Christ Jesus So 2 Cor. 5.1 We know that if our earthly Tabernacle be dissolved we have a building of God eternal in the heavens They knew that when they died they should see God in heaven not only Paul but other godly Christians with him So Heb. 10.34 You know in your selves that God hath provided for you a better and more induring substance They were assured within themselves that when they should die or lose their estates here God had provided for them a more enduring substance So 1 John 3.19 Hereby we know that we are of the truth and shall assure our hearts before God So verse 14. We know we are translated from death to life c. So that what can be more clearly proved then this that this assurance is to be attained in this life because God commands it it is the spirits office to work it particular Christians have had it and the people of God in general they have enjoyed and profest this Temper Vse Is it so then that assurance is attainable in this life Then how much to blame are our adversaries the Papists who hold their followers in suspense that they must live without the assurance of their own estate that their soules must hang in feares and doubts all their dayes that the most they can have is only a conjecture oh into what a gulph of discomforts do they plunge them Beloved the Lord in the Book of Deuteronomy chap. 29. did pronounce it as a curse that their lives should hang in suspense it 's a greater curse that mens souls should hang in suspense that men shall not know whether they shall be saved or damned it 's a hell on this side hell and therefore they are much to be blamed that hold their followers in hand with a peradventure they shall be saved peradventure not when the Scripture is so clear in this thing Secondly Let not the thoughts either of the impossibility or the difficulty of attaining this assurance discourage you from looking after it It is not impossible though it is difficult indeed and the difficulty should be so farre from discouraging you that it should quicken your endeavours to make your calling and election sure Thirdly Seeing assurance is attainable in this life inquire into the cause why you who are effectually called have not attained this assurance before now And this puts me upon handling of the second case of conscience seeing this assurance is attainable Therefore Answ Secondly what is the reason that many Christians who are called effectually by Jesus Christ do live in many doubts and feares about their effectual calling Doubt In answer to this I shall lay down these three particulars that the doubts that do arise in Christians about their calling they flow from this threefold fountain Either first from some seeming defect they apprehend in the manner of their calling Or Secondly some seeming defect they apprehend to be in the meanes of their calling Or else Thirdly some seeming defects they apprehend in the effects of their calling and these three grounds are the rise from whence many Christians effectually called do doubt of their call and are not assured of it First It doth arise from some seeming defect they apprehend to be in the manner of their calling They say I am not called in such a manner as I see others are As thus Think they I see other men when they are converted that their humiliations are great I see that they have horror of conscience that they are wrought upon by the terrors of the law
that they are exceedingly humbled before God Now for my part I never found this manner of Gods working in my soul I never found that I could see my sins clearly or could be humbled for them greatly I never found those humiliations and legal Terrours which I hear many men talk of and this makes me doubt whether I am effectually called or no. Now to take off this I shall onely speak three things by way of Answer First That it is true God doth proceed after this manner with some yet God is not tied and confined to one and the same way of working with all What if he come to you in a calm when he comes to others in a Tempest if God come to you in a more peaceable and quiet way What if God do not pierce your heart as he did those 3000. in the Acts if he kindely open thy heart like Lidia's without noise God is not to be tied to one and the same way in converting all As 't is said John 3.8 The winde bloweth where it listeth so how it listeth also Secondly You have no cause to doubt for this because it's Gods usual manner to proceed after this way only with such men who have been loose in their lives who have been obstinate in their wills who have been very scandalous in conversation before their conversion and call But it is not Gods usual way to work thus upon Christians who have been religiously brought up from their youth it is not Gods way to dowse them into such a pit of horror and plunge them into such a depth of fears that have been of a fair and ingenuous and moral life before their call As you know it is with Carpenters they give more blowes to knotty Timber then they will do to smooth and tender wood thus doth God when he meets with a knotty sinner a wretched stout-hearted sinner God must give him many blowes by humiliation before he will be humbled before he can bring him to be a serviceable piece in Gods building whereas Christians of a milde and softer temper they shall have fewer blowes and shall not have the terrors of God stick so fast in their hearts as others shall Hence you read that phrase Hos 6.5 Saith the Lord I will hew them by my Prophets c. God doth hew some men hew them with judgments and hew them with terror Yea but others that are not so loose as they I taught Ephraim to go I led Ephraim by the Armes and I drew him with cords of a man and with the bands of love Hos 11.4 God you see would hack and hew some men with terror and wrath but others he would draw with love and the cords of a man Now suppose God hath not hacked and hewed thee with judgements if God melt thee with loving kindnesse and if God gain upon thy soul with mercy and with love and grace thou must not blame God thou must not confine God for this is Gods way of working sometimes as well as by wrath God works upon some with wrath he will allure others with loving kindnesse so that you have no cause or ground of fear that you are not effectually called because you apprehend some defects in the manner of your call because it is Gods usual way to plunge them in most humiliation and most terrour that have been most wicked liv'd men before their call and not so ordinarily with men religiously trained up from their youth Thirdly God when he goes to call a sinner to conversion he looks upon the temper of those that are to be called and God sees some men of a rugged Temper that their Tempers will not be won but by wrath and by fire and by hell and by Judgement And so it 's like Felix was his Temper was such that nothing could convert him but wrath and Judgement to come Terrible Doctrines Some are of this Temper that nothing but wrath and hel-fire can work upon them As children there are some that are of such soft and tender Tempers that the shaking of a rod may do them good there are other children if a man should whip them every day they would never leave their childish tricks It is so with sinners God sees some of a more tender and soft Temper that love will gain upon them others are of a rugged disposition that nothing but wrath can affright them Now God in the dispensations of his grace he observes their Temper and if he seeth love will gaine more upon them then wrath will do he will take that course but if God see nothing but wrath and fire and horrour will do it then he will work that way This you read in the Epistle of Jude ver 22 23. On some saith the holy Ghost have compassion making a difference but others save with fear pulling them out of the fire The meaning is this There are some that you must shew tendernesse and compassion to in calling and working upon them they are of a tender Temper but others there are that you must save with feare that is preach terrible Sermons to them and fright them with hel-fire and Judgement to come For God doth observe the different Tempers in men and hereupon doth proceed in different wayes of Administration in working upon them Now it may be thou that dost thus complaine thou never hadst these Terrors in thy soul and yet art effectually called it may be God saw thy Temper more to be won by kindnesse and more gained upon in a way of love therefore wrought upon thee this way God is not bound to one way And therefore we may justly count them blame-worthy who preach onely free grace and Gods love and so tie God to one Method and they are to blame on the other side likewise if there be any such that preach onely Terror and wrath for God observes the Temper of mens dispositions some to be knotty and some soft and accordingly proceeds in his way of working with them This ground therefore for your doubts is insufficient Secondly A second ground that makes men doubt of their effectual calling is upon the apprehension of some seeming defect that may be in the means of their calling As thus Think they I have read in the Word that it doth please God to use preaching as the ordinary means to call and convert sinners to Christ It pleased God by preaching to save them that believe I read this also that faith comes by hearing Now many a poore soul hath this that gravels his conscience and troubles his spirit but alas I finde a defect in this means For my part I cannot say I was converted by hearing a Sermon that which did work upon me was some other means One of these three either I was converted saith one by living in a godly family among good Christians seeing their example that first gained upon me Or saith another I was gained upon by reading a Chapter in the Bible or in some good book
that Text 2 Pet. 2.1 2 3. There were false Prophets among the people like as there shall be false Teachers among you And who are they vers 2. They shall deny the Lord that bought them they shall bring in damnable heresies Every errour is not a heresie but these men shall bring in damnable heresies and many shall follow their pernicious waies Now what is their censure whose judgement now of a long time lingers not and their damnation slumbers not Their damnation was not asleep but for a long time damnation did attend them and they were in danger of it So that beloved it is great danger for men to be patrons of errour especially when they are grosse and palpable and when in Scripture language they may be called damnable heresies It is an argument if men live and die thus that they are not within the purpose of Gods Counsell to doe them good Sixthly Men that live and die in a continuall spurning and opposition against the Gospell and word of God powerfully preached it is a dreadfull signe they are not within the compasse of Gods election 1 John 4 5 6. You are not of God for you heare not his words So John 12. He that heareth the word is of God but you heare not his word therefore you are not of God Therefore you belong not to him But more pregnant to this purpose is that place Acts 13.46 47 48. It was necessary the word of the Lord should first have been spoken to you but seeing you put it from you and judge your selves unworthy of everlasting life lo we turn to the Gentiles Now compare this with Vers 48. And when the Gentiles heard this they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord and as many as were ordained to eternall life believed The opposition lies thus As many as God purposed to save they glorified God for his word and they rejoyced and were glad in his word but those that were not decreed to salvation they put off from them the word of the Lord they spurned at it and opposed it and could not indure the word of the Lord. Therefore the Text saith The Jewes stirred up the devout and honourable women and they raised up persecution against Paul and Barnabas and expelled them out of their coast It was said to Amaziah 2 Chro. 25.16 By this I know that the Lord hath purposed to destroy thee because thou hast not hearkned to my counsell Thus you see the Scripture makes it the badge of a man that doth not fall within the compasse of Gods election to bring him to life and glory to live and die in opposition to the word of God Sevently and this we may speake more confidently and positively that that man is not within the compasse of Gods election who sinnes the sinne against the holy Ghost Matth. 12.32 He shall neither be forgiven in this life nor in the life to come This is an unpardonable sinne 1 John 5.16 Now I know there are many men who confine this sinne onely to the Pharisees as if they onely were guilty of it There are others that say this sinne is seldome committed and so many Divines speak favourably of it but Beloved I am perswaded this sinne is oftner committed then most men in the world dream of and many men are plunged into this sinne that think well of their own soules The sinne against the holy Ghost is onely this It is a wilfull and deliberate act in a professor of Religion whereby he doth not onely fall from his profession but he runnes into a course of sinne knowingly against conscience obstinately against counsell and maliciously against Jesus Christ This is briefly a description of this sinne Now I am perswaded there are many in the world that have professed Religion that are if not in this sinne yet at the very next doore to it And if a man be gone thus farre this is called in Scripture a sinne unto death a sinne which if a man fall into he may be sure he shall be damned And thus I have in briefe given you an account of these seven particulars whereby every man may give a guesse in his own thoughts whether he be within the purpose of Gods election to salvation or no. I have now from this sad Doctrine onely a few comfortable positions to lay down and so conclude As 1. That though these particulars may give you a guesse of those that are not within the compasse of Gods election yet no man is bound to make this sure to himselfe that he is not elected You are bound to make your election sure but you are not bound to make your reprobation sure For these heads I have given out not to make any godly man question his election but to startle wicked men who live quite contrary and opposite to the elect of God 2. That a man may come very nigh to the worst of these sins and yet may be an elect man We were saith Paul sometimes disobedient deceived and served divers lusts Titus 3.3 And Ephes 2.2 In times past you walked according to the course of the world according to the power of the Prince of the aire who worketh mightily in the children of disobedience In times past you were children of wrath as well as others In times past before calling you may come very neere to these evils yet be within the compasse of Gods election provided you doe not live and die in those evils For if so there is no hope of mercy 3. That for men to question their election meerly because they doe not finde the saving effects of election in their hearts and lives is rather an argument of their being then of their not being elected Because men not elected they never look after their election to make it sure they will trust all upon the mercy of God and grace of God and never look after holinesse sin never troubles them profanenesse never grieves them want of holinesse perplexes not them The questioning therefore of your election arising from the evils of your conversation is rather a signe that God hath chosen you to life and glory 4. Election it runnes often times to those that are the worst sort of men in the world Election runnes to them that have been worst in their lives before they were called And thereby God magnifies the riches of his grace Election passeth by civill honest men and ingenious tempered men and commonly runs to men that have been scandalous loose Atheisticall profane livers before they were called Matth. 21.31 Whores and Harlots shall come to Heaven before you Manasseh that was a cruell murderer and Idolater yet election ran to him Mary Magdalen a common strumpet out of whom Christ cast seven Divels yet election ran to her Rahab a Harlot Paul a persecuter a blasphemer a man injurious to the Saints yet Acts 9.15 He was a chosen vessell unto God and obtained mercy God to magnifie the riches of his free grace le ts election
nor shall his justice intrench upon his mercy one Attribute shall not clash with another he is no more mercifull then he is just nor is he more just then he is mercifull Secondly though God be a mercifull God yet Gods saving mercy is not so large as to extend to all creatures that live that he hath made You read Esay 27.11 This is a people of no understanding therefore hee that made them will not have mercy upon them and he that formed them will shew them no favour Here you see the Prophet tels them that that God that made them will damne them and that God that formed them that God will shew them no favour So that Gods mercy extends not so farre as to reach to all the works of his hands for if so the divels might claime salvation as well as man for God made them when they were glorious Angels as well as man and therefore if all the works of Gods hands should plead for salvation they might as well come within the compasse of Gods election as wicked men doe And thus you see in these severall Sermons I have finished the Doctrines of Effectuall Vocation and Eternall election I will now a little illustrate the point by laying down ten Propositions which will serve to cleare the Doctrine of Election in many points about it and so conclude First That all men are not the objects of Gods election or of Gods choice And this proposition doth confute the opinion of Origen Origen was of this mind that all mankind should be saved nay the very divels themselves they should all be saved by Christ A most groundlesse and unheard of opinion for all men are not elected to salvation Jude tels us in his Epistle there were some of old ordained to condemnation and if so surely they could not fall within the compasse of Gods election 1 Thes 5.9 There are some ordained to wrath but we are not amongst them saith the Apostle but we are ordained to obtaine salvation by Jesus Christ All are not objects of Gods election to life Secondly that the fewest sort of men and women that God hath made are the the objects of his election God in his own counsell hath elected to life and salvation the fewest sort of men and women in the world And this is a very dreadfull point Many are called but few are chosen Matth. 22.14 Rom. 11.5 A remnant according to the election of grace And here in pursuing this head I shall lay down two things under this proposition First that there are but few rich men chosen by God to life and salvation Secondly there are but few civill honest men chosen by God to life and salvation There are but few rich men that fall within the compasse of Gods purpose to save 1 Cor. 1.26 Not many mighty he doth not say not any but not many mighty not many Noble not many great ones of the world are chosen You read Matth. 19.24 That it is as easie for a Camell to goe thorough a Needles eye as for a rich man to enter into the Kingdome of God As easie for a Camell It is not meant in this sence as some expound it That there was a gate in Hierusalem called the Needles eye a little and low gate which their Camels being laden could not goe through and therefore they must unload the burden and the Camell stoop before they could enter Some think Christs speech had relation to that Beza saith that instead of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Camel they read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Cable which if untwisted may be put through the eye of a Needle but the knot is not untied but cut by this exposition But the words were a proverbiall speech among the Jewes who had this proverb amongst them that when any one spake things either unlikely or unprobable they would say This can be as easily done as a Camel can goe through a Needles eye And Christ alluding to this Proverb saith that rich men that dote upon their riches and cleave to their wealth and rather part with heaven and Christ and soule and all then part with their riches Christ makes it an unpossible thing for such rich men to come into heaven As I once told what Buchanan said lying upon his death-bed in a message to King James I am going to that place where few Kings come And beloved the speech is true for not many wise not many mighty not many Noble hath the Lord chosen Secondly few civill honest men doe fall within the compasse of Gods choyce to save Morall men that trust upon their civility and morall honesty and plain dealing few or none of these come to Heaven Publicans and Harlots shall come to Heaven before you Matth. 21.32 Whores and harlots believe in me when you doe not saith Christ Thirdly that though God in his own counsell hath determined or made choice but of the fewest number of men and women to life and salvation yet this doth no way intrench upon the mercy of God this doth no way lessen or impeach the mercy of God Men may think as if surely God had cast off all bowels and cast off all mercy What God make such a world of men as he hath done and save but a few of these Man might think as if God were a hard master that delighted in the destruction of man that had forgotten to be gracious such a hard charge will they be apt to lay upon God But now beloved that God hath elected so few a number to life this doth no way impeach the mercy of God And this I make appeare thus because God was bound to save none at all therefore you cannot challenge God either with unmercifulnesse or unfaithfulnesse if he should save none It was a meer act of his bounty and good will that he would save any Nay secondly there is that in man in the best of men that might justly provoke God not to save any And therefore if God save any it is of grace And this is a certain rule that God doth shew more mercy in saving of one then he would have done rigour of justice had he damned all As may be made plain by this comparison Suppose fourty men guilty of Rebellion were arraigned for their lives and were condemned to die by the Law if the Prince pardon foure of these forty he shewes more mercy in pardoning the foure then he doth rigour of justice in condemning the forty Why because the fact deserved death in all alike So it is with God every man upon earth deserves death and damnation if God cull out any of the masse of mankind to save them he shewes more mercy then he had done rigorous justice should he have destroyed all because he is bound to save none at all Fourthly God in electing a certain number to life doth it without foresight of any good works which he saw would be in them Indeed the Papists and Arminians joyn their